5 Oct 2018

Maranui Café excited to host Prince Harry and Meghan

From Checkpoint, 5:23 pm on 5 October 2018

Maranui Cafe is overjoyed with news that royals Harry and Meghan will visit them on their tour of New Zealand in October.

The Lyall bay cafe's owner, Katie Richardson, told Checkpoint their popularity and location made them the perfect candidates for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's tour.

"We've had lots of celebrities including prime ministers and movie stars ... it's got great food, great location, you can't really beat it I don't think," Ms Richardson said.

"We're an iconic cafe, we've been there for a long time, and well-known in Wellington and around New Zealand ... it's got a very New Zealand feel, so I think that's why they've chosen us."

She said they were picked after a scout from the United Kingdom came around to seek areas in Wellington that would be suitable for the royals to visit.

"We were the lucky ones to receive the royals, which is so exciting!" Ms Richardson said.

Social media users stated that the cafe's popularity had left them with a 30-minute wait just to get a table.

However, Ms Richardson said the royals need not worry, the cafe will be shut for a couple of hours when the Duke and Duchess visit.

"We're going to close the cafe for a few hours while they're here, so they get the special treatment."

She also hopes to grab a snapshot to mark the glorious moment with the royals and place it as memobrilia in the cafe.

"It's a moment in history, I don't think it'll happen again for us."

She said the staff were excited and in anticipation of the event preparations were already being made.

"We're going to cook up lots of special things to offer them ... lots of preparation going on in the next few weeks."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will spend four days travelling throughout the country - in their first visit to New Zealand as a couple.

They'll arrive on Sunday 28 October, after attending the Invictus Games in Sydney and visiting Fiji and Tonga.

Harry and Meghan will officially be welcomed at Government House, before heading to the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park for a wreath laying ceremony.

The rest of their visit will be spent travelling between Abel Tasman National Park, Auckland and Rotorua.